Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson calls for "unity behind the team" amid plans from some fans to boycott Saturday's Scottish Cup match against Dundee.
Celtic interim chairman Brian Wilson has called for "unity behind the team" amid plans from some fans to boycott Saturday's Scottish Cup match against Dundee.
Supporters' groups have urged fellow fans not to attend the last-16 tie at Parkhead as they continue to demand change at the club.
Sections of the support remain unhappy with the board following what they perceived as another underwhelming transfer window.
Fans have also criticised a lack of engagement from the Celtic hierarchy, but Wilson hopes supporters can unite behind Martin O'Neill's side.
"I don't expect suddenly all the issues to go away," he told Celtic TV. "What I've asked for, and what I think the great majority of Celtic supporters want to see, is unity behind the team.
"Let's sort out these other issues - and in no way am I dismissing them or marginalising them. Short term, it's imperative to support the team.
"It's up to each individual to decide whether a boycott inside the stadium or outside the stadium helps that. That's for people to judge."
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Having recently replaced Peter Lawwell - who stood down as Celtic chairman at the end of December, citing "abuse and threats" - Wilson accepts "there hasn't been as much engagement [with the fans] as I would've liked" in the past month.
Wilson says that has mainly been down to the transfer window being the priority, while he also praised O'Neill, assistant coach Shaun Maloney and the Celtic players for pulling themselves back into Scottish Premiership title contention.
Celtic's winter window was disrupted by the sackings of manager Wilfried Nancy and head of football operations Paul Tisdale in early January.
The club had recruited five players by the deadline, all of which were loans, and rejected a bid of up to £25m from Nottingham Forest for midfielder Arne Engels.
They are also in talks to sign former Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
After a "turbulent" month, Wilson says the club have "reached out to every supporters' group" and he is hopeful meetings can take place "within the next week or so".
"Let's see if we can go forward," he added. "There's no reluctance on my part to engage and I hope that can be put into practice soon.
"We're not going to agree on everything, but we can talk about [the issues]. But don't let it distract from what's going on inside the stadium, that's all I'm asking for."
Category: General Sports
